ABSTRACT
Objectives: Although abortion is legal in Austria, women are frequently confronted by religiously motivated demonstrators when accessing an abortion. The current study assessed women's experiences in this situation.Methods: Between 2006 and 2010, data were collected from women seeking an abortion who had been approached by demonstrators in front of an abortion clinic. A qualitative content method, descriptive statistics and formal regression analysis were used to examine the data.Results: Participants comprised 98 women, aged 12-47 years. Overall, 91% said their decision was not influenced by the demonstrators, 17% reported feeling threatened, and 93% supported a legal ban on what they perceived as harassment.Conclusion: The demonstrators' behaviour did not influence or change the women's abortion decision. The women reported the activists' behaviour as harassment. Further, the vast majority would support enhanced legal protection for women entering an abortion clinic, to minimise the psychological and physical stress. Future research should explore how such bans could support women and improve their experience at the time of abortion.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Induced/psychology , Ambulatory Care Facilities , Conflict, Psychological , Decision Making , Pregnant Women/psychology , Adolescent , Adult , Austria , Child , Emotions , Female , Health Services Accessibility , Humans , Middle Aged , Motivation , Pilot Projects , Political Activism , Pregnancy , Qualitative Research , Religion , Young AdultABSTRACT
Pregnancy and motherhood are often presented as natural and unproblematic for women. The fact that there are some women who engage in violent behaviour towards their unborn child suggests that motherhood is not as unproblematic as we are led to believe. This paper presents six previously unpublished cases of foetal abuse that is physical assaults on the foetus by the mothers themselves, and examines how the prevailing myth of the good mother might be further endangering mothers and their unborn children. So far, the research suggests there are some common, possibly co-occurring, features that might be an antecedent to foetal abuse: unplanned pregnancies, prior mental health issues in the mother, trauma, pregnancy denial up to 20 weeks or until birth, and ideation of harm correlated to in utero movements.
